Waiting, waiting and waiting

Well, waiting is not one of my favorite things is this world. Watching homes that we could put offers on are either going to pending sale then back on sale or selling outright. It is hard to see which home God is going to have for us. My husband is waiting until September to start looking. He is right though. The market is changing, and who knows (only God) we just may get a larger home with more land than we expected. Proverbs 3:5-6 says that I need to trust Him in all things. That does include the little and big things. If today you are feeling a bit stretched in the "Trusting" area, join the club. I do believe that all true Christians have issues with trusting in God fully from time to time.

God is a just and loving God and He know what is best for our family and does for your family too.

Blessings,

Carol

Praising God In All The Details

Sometimes I tend forget to Thank God for all the little blessings in my life. For example, having a roof over our head, more than enough food on our table and so many other things. Last week, I seemed to not be thanking my Lord for those little blessings. Needless to say, I was becoming grouchy in many areas of my day. Praise God his mercies and forgiveness are new everyday.

Grocery shopping can get myself and the children tired and grouchy too. Thursday we went grocery shopping. We actually stopped at 5 places!!! Post office, thrift store, KIA garage, Winco and Sams Club. Phew! That was alot of stops. Well, the three of us rejoiced that we had the money to purchase our groceries, vintage fabric, postage stamps to mail or letters, and the car was fixed for free (small recall issue). Much to be thankful to the Lord for. Our day was very tiring BUT, we were joyful, thankful and so glad we had food to eat. Try being thankful to God in the little details and He can do much in your life.


Again, I stretched our food to created some really tasty meals for just pennies. Oh yes, they were healthy dishes too. In doing this, I can big shop about once every 5 weeks or so.

I just love it when I find vintage fabrics or any good fabric for that matter. The price was right in my book.

• Pork ribs, potatoes, salad, fruit
• Taco soup (with the left over chicken I had baked)
• Sausage, potato, zucchini bake (made from left over breakfast meal)
• Breakfast, sausage, eggs, potatoes
• Fend for yourself night (whatever was in the fridge)
• Left over pork ribs with rice bake.

It's Hot In Northern California

As I write this, it has been extremely hot here where we live. Monday was 106. Triple digits!! A bit melting for our family. My husband has to work in this weather (he is a building contractor). So, when the weather is this way, our family huddles inside and tries to do other activities.

I let my kids watch a few more movies than normal, do crafts, read books, and such. I also, don't cook on the stove top or oven. We do cook in the microwave, make cold sandwiches, and eat salads. Anything to keep the cottage from heating up. It was a good thing Monday morning, I had put a chicken in the crockpot. It was completely cooked before the power went off.

This week I did make a skirt for my daughter and a slip. For myself and very pretty skirt.

Regarding using my time more wisely, just staying off the computer. Making sure that I read my bible in the morning before doing activities in the house. So far so good.

I hope your 4th of July was wonderful.

A pair of earrings I made for my daughters Awana leader. They were clip on earrings. Yes, vintage all the way. These earrings have character.

My kids and I made fans on Monday for the power went off. Due to a fire  near an electrical substation in town. It was really hot that  day.

The items I ordered from Wawak sewing supplies. The shipping is very low, ship fast, prices are excellent. I used a coupon code for $20.00 off purchases $40.00 or more. It's good till September 30, 2013. Type in this code upon checking out  THREADS913. Next month or August I may order something else. We will see what they happen to have on sale.

• Spinach strawberry pecan salad
• Crockpot chicken
• Chicken, sausage, tomato sauce and rice mix (left overs)
• Pork chops, mashed potatoes and green beans
• Yummy BBQ for the 4th of July at our friends home on the 4th

My Accomplishments From Last Week

Busy week it has been. We started our Summer homeschooling again, after a long break of house selling. Things did have to be pushed to the side for a while. The Lord was really gracious to us during that time. It feels good to be back on track and getting things accomplished around the rental cottage. I have even put some photos up of the cute cards I made with my kids this week. We enjoy making the cards and having them ready in a box to send when one is needed. So much better than purchasing a card.

Lately, I have been thinking about how I am using my time wisely. Honestly lately it has been a bit crazy with the move and getting settled. My heart wants to glorify God in how my time is spent. I will keep you updated on what steps have been taken in order to accomplish this important change in my life.

Super Delicious Gluten Free Banana Nut Muffins

Perfect Gluten Free Oatmeal Millet Bread

The cards my children and I made. We used my embossing machine from Sizzix and fun templates from Cuttlebug.

• I made homemade chicken pot pie, used up phyllo dough sheets I have had in the freezer since last November.
• I made a double batch of gluten free millet oatmeal bread, and pumpkin muffins. Family loves these
• Made a spaghetti with italian sauce, then ate leftovers another day.
• Really focused on how my time is spent. I find that my accomplishments this last week were were more than they had been in quite a while.
• We had homemade vegetarian chili from dried beans in my bulk buckets. The best way to re-hydrate beans is in the pressure cooker. I just cook them for 15 minutes and they are pretty soft.
• Took a few more things out of boxes from the garage.

Have a wonderful day!!

Blessings,

Carol

The Cottage

Busy is the word for our household last week. Things began to get back to regular schedule since our home had been put up for sale. We had to sign final papers on Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday escrow closed and getting settled in our rental cottage. The Lord has been very good to us during this time of stretching in our faith. Selling a home is a huge undertaking.

The cottage is out from town about 15 minutes or so. The trips I take into town are few now. I am so glad that the last few years purchasing food in bulk, cooking from scratch and  stocking up the pantry has been done in my household. Not having to run to the store for something has been great. Last week I made some great meals from items we had in the freezer, and pantry. Here is a list of some of the things we have eaten last week.

Turkey spam sandwiches
Black bean chili with rice
Pork chops with left over black bean chili with rice
Left over pork, black bean chili, rice tacos
Lots of wonderful green salads
Ham (that was already cooked)and baked potatoes
Potato zucchini pancakes with salad and fruit

I did make a large pitcher of mint water. Our landlords planted several things for us in the garden on the property. The mint water was very refreshing. My daughter asked if I could make some more. Very free indeed. My main goal is to make everything stretch as far as possible. Making sure the meals are healthy and tasty.

Officially Back to Blogging

So much has happened since March. We placed our home up for sale in April. 4 offers and 3 times in escrow we officially handed the house to the new buyers as of today. It was an odd journey but, God had his best plans for our family. We ended up with the best offer and more money in our pockets. Last week (Thursday) we finished moving everything out of the house. What a huge chore!! Glad it is done. Loving our little rental cottage out in the country. Many birds, deer and other wildlife visit our place. Best thing of all, no traffic noise anymore. We are thankful for all the Lord has done for our family. Now we are praying for our next home, prayerfully before Christmas.

Blessings,

Carol

I have a camera now!!

Last weekend my husband and I traveled down to Southern California. I picked items from my mother's estate. One item was her digital camera. So, happily I can say photos will be coming to my blog. I am excited to post some fun scrapbook pages and other creations. What a huge blessing to get another camera. I felt like a fish out of water not having a camera for the last couple of months.

Have a wonderful day!

Blessings,

Carol